Producers made 65.6 million pounds of Latin American-style cheeses in 2012

Twenty years ago, when Wisconsin first started tracking its Hispanic cheese production, cheesemakers in the state were turning out a modest 9 million pounds.

That number has increased dramatically every year since. According to the Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board, in 2012 the state produced 65.6 million pounds.

Led by basic queso fresco and queso blanco, a list of 18 varieties of Hispanic cheese is now tracked by the Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board.

Mainstream grocery stores across Wisconsin are stocking — and selling — a much wider array of Hispanic cheeses, among them queso de freir, panela queso blanco, queso quesadilla, enchilado, queso fresco, queso de papa and cotija, according to Dairy Management Inc., a promotion board.

"In southwest Wisconsin, some factories have made it their exclusive market," observed John Umhoefer, executive director of the Wisconsin Cheese Makers Association. "Rather than have it be a modified American-style cheese, these are cheeses made first and foremost as Hispanic styles. That's been an evolution in the market."

Out in Monroe, Bill Hoesly sees the growth as new-product manager for Wisconsin Cheese Group, which distributes varieties under the El Viajero label. "Back when we started, you'd make maybe one vat once in a while," he said. "Now we're full production about 24 hours a day six days a week."

Demand for authentic Hispanic cheeses has risen along with increased sophistication about Hispanic cuisines. But consumers and cheesemakers alike have much to learn.

"There's a curiosity there, but people don't understand all the recipes and cheese uses," said Hoesly, who has 30 years of experiences as a licensed cheesemaker. "Quite often when you mention you're in a company making Hispanic cheese, people think it's hot, spicy cheese and it is the opposite. It's a fresh, clean dairy flavor used to complement the spices in recipes."

Helping to educate cheesemakers about Hispanic cheeses is the University of Wisconsin Center for Dairy Research's Luis Jimenez-Maroto, a native of Mexico City.

"We like to give it a general name, like queso fresco ("fresh cheese"), and think they're the same all over Latin America," Jimenez-Maroto said. "Yet the same cheese has subtle differences if made in the south, north or central part of Mexico.

"In Latin America, as far as I know, there isn't a clear definition of what these cheeses should be. Whereas in the U.S., cheddar is clearly defined."

When teaching classes, Jimenez-Maroto starts with parameters for three basic styles of Hispanic and Latin American cheeses (the terms are interchangeable).

Fresh cheeses comprise the largest category. These are the non-melting cheeses: queso fresco, queso blanco, enchilado, para freir and panela.

Second most popular are the melting cheeses, which include Oaxaca and queso quesadilla. Additionally, Queso Chihuaha is a melting cheese. Home cooks may associate the name with traditional melting cheeses from that region of Mexico; however, Chicago's V&V Supremo Foods holds a registered trademark on the brand and is the only producer that can officially use the name.

Dry, hard and crumbling cheeses comprise the third category and include cotija, queso seco, cincho and queso duro.

You likely won't find stores selling these on cheese trays for party snacking. Traditional Hispanic cheeses are used for cooking. Look for them added as toppings and garnish on soups, salads and main courses, served with tortillas or in peppers and other dishes as a stuffing.

Lack of knowledge about traditional Hispanic cheeses is understandable, said Gilberto Villasenor II, general manager for V&V Supremo Foods. While independent markets such as El Rey have sold them for many years, availability and interest from the general public is relatively recent. V&V Supremo partnered with master cheesemaker Jim Meives to distribute cheeses for Chula Vista Cheese in Browntown.

To address consumer misconceptions, V&V Supremo has been creating step-by-step instructional cooking videos on YouTube in both English and Spanish.

For example: "Our asadero is a true asadero, which is a grilling cheese," Villasenor said. "You don't need any butter or oil, you just throw it on a skillet (over) medium heat and the dairy notes come up really nicely."

As awareness grows, Hispanic and Latin American cheeses are also getting notice in competitions. In 2012, Wisconsin State Fair added a Latin American Cheese category and received seven entries. This year there were 13 entries.

This year's American Cheese Society competition drew 26 entries in three categories of Hispanic and Portuguese-style cheeses.

Among the award winners made here is GranQueso, produced by Emmi Roth USA in Monroe, a cow's-milk, Manchego-style, spice-rubbed variety of Spanish and Portugese inspiration. GranQueso has won top honors from the American Cheese Society every year since 2004. Used grated or shredded atop dishes, this aged cheese is also a good slicing favorite.

Several state cheesemakers have specialized in artisan and small-batch production of Hispanic cheeses. Among them are Clock Shadow Creamery in Milwaukee and Cesar Luis of Cesar's Cheese in Columbus.

"Before we ever opened Clock Shadow Creamery, we did a survey of cheese in this location," said Bob Wills, who took his decades of experience running Cedar Grove Cheese in Plain and opened Milwaukee's only cheese factory in 2012. "We looked at what things might be needed or missing here.

"The challenge with Hispanic cheeses is there are so many varieties and lots of options," he added. "People's experiences determine what they expect, and that probably has to do with what they were having at home. That can range from one region in Mexico to all over Latin America. Then there are different names for some of the same cheeses."

Right now Clock Shadow makes queso quesadilla. Wills wants to make queso fresco and then asadero. They have also produced requeson, a ricotta-like cheese, and may consider making it again in the future.

"Of the varieties out there, Cesar's Cheese is outstanding," Wills said. "I would never try to replicate that. It is one of the cheeses we carry in the shop."

Steve Ehlers, co-owner of Larry's Market, sees growing interest in the handcrafted approach taken by Luis.

"He's one of the few that really puts his personality on the cheese," Ehlers said. "There's so much hand labor. When you look at most string cheese, it is extruded. Theirs is hand-stretched 'pasta filata' style. When you pull his string cheese apart, you see all the filaments. When you pull commercial string cheese apart, you don't see that."

Luis, who grew up watching his grandmother hand-pull cheese in Oaxaca, Mexico, got his cheesemaker's license in 2008. Initially, he made cheese part time while working other jobs. Today, he's handcrafting cheese full time with his wife, Heydi, and their two children, using milk from Sassy Cow Creamery in Columbus.

Initially he thought he'd sell to Latin American supermarkets, but made his first sale to Larry's Market in Brown Deer. Madison's Willy Street Co-op and Outpost Natural Foods are among his biggest customers.

"We make our queso fresco by hand without any fillers,' Luis said. "We don't use any growth hormones in our milk. I understand that when I get into machines and starting to do a lot of cheese, I lose the quality. I have more cheese available, but I don't have the same quality."

While he's mastered queso fresco and Oaxaca string cheese, his latest creation is an aged Manchego-style cheese he named La Pinta.

"I sampled it at Willy Street Co-Op and they called me to say people wanted more. I'm excited, but I sell it at three months because I don't have room to age for a year or two. I'm not finished yet. This is a project. My inspiration is from Spain, Mexico and the United States put together."

The growth in Hispanic cheese production was a natural for America's Dairyland.

"Ten to 15 years ago, some of the larger companies out of Chicago decided that Wisconsin would be a good place to make some (Hispanic) cheeses," said Olivia Villareal, of the family-owned Supermercado El Rey, which marks its 35th anniversary this month.

"Chula Vista is one that comes to mind. They produce some of the highest-quality Mexican cheeses that we've ever had in the store, and in my own house those are the only ones I use. The quality of the milk here in Wisconsin is just superb."

-----

Recipes

Olivia Villareal, of Supermercado El Rey provided this recipe using one of her favorite Mexican-style cheeses. Rancherito from V&V Supremo is the specific (trademarked) brand-name cheese she uses, and it is available at the family's stores. Ranchero and queso fresco are other options for crumbling cheese that will work well.

Drain and rinse cactus under running water until you have washed all the stickiness off the leaves. Add the juice of the pickled peppers, onion, tomatoes, cilantro, lime juice and oregano. Stir gently. Crumble half the cheese into the salad and stir gently. Marinate in refrigerator at least 1 hour.

Place the tostadas on a platter and spoon salad to fill each tostada. Crumble remaining cheese on top, add pickled peppers and, if desired, additional tomatoes for garnish.

-----

This recipe from the Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board comes together quickly, pairing a simple roasted salsa with queso blanco. In a pinch for time, you could easily top the queso blanco with prepared salsa of your choice.

Queso Blanco with Roasted Tomato Sauce
Makes 3 servings

1 can (14.5 ounce) diced fire-roasted tomatoes

2 unpeeled garlic cloves

1 jalapeño pepper

Salt to taste

1 teaspoon dried Mexico oregano

tablespoons olive oil

1 package (12 ounces) queso blanco, cut into 3 equal slices

Tortillas or tortilla chips, if desired

Place tomatoes in bowl of a food processor or beaker of a blender.

Heat a heavy skillet, such as cast-iron, until very hot. Place garlic cloves and jalapeño in skillet. Grill until skin of both garlic and jalapeño turns black in places, turning as necessary. Peel the garlic and chop roughly. Add to tomatoes in food processor. Wearing gloves, cut the jalapeño in half, stem and seed (carefully avoiding touching jalapeño seeds with bare hands). Roughly chop half the jalapeño. Add to tomatoes and blend briefly; mixture should be chunky, not soupy. Taste for salt, adding if necessary. Add additional chopped reserved jalapeño if a hotter flavor is desired. Stir in oregano.

Heat olive oil in a medium skillet until hot. Add the tomato sauce, which may spatter. Stir and cook at a low boil about 5 minutes, until mixture thickens and reduces slightly. Keep warm.

Heat a large, nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Lightly grill the cheese slices until golden brown on all sides, 5 to 6 minutes. Transfer the slices to serving plates. Top with warm tomato sauce on each slice. If desired, serve with tortillas or tortilla chips.

-----

Marcela Valladolid writes of the rewards of homemade cheese and offers her recipe for queso fresco in her cookbook, "Mexican Made Easy" (Clarkson Potter, 2011) a companion to her Food Network program. Using whole milk that is not ultra-pasteurized is key. She serves this spread on warm corn tortillas or with crackers.

Line a colander with cheesecloth, then place over an empty pot. Set aside.

Pour the milk into a large saucepan. Heat over medium-low heat until milk starts to simmer and a thermometer inserted into it registers a temperature of 195 degrees, about 10 minutes. Turn off heat.

Pour vinegar into milk, stirring constantly. Milk curds will start to separate and mixture will begin to look grainy and separate.

Pour mixture into colander and let it drain over an empty pot until curds look drier, about 1 hour. Mix in salt, jalapeño and cilantro. Wrap cheesecloth over top of cheese, weight down with a clean heavy pot or bowl and refrigerate overnight.

Cheese will be firm. Transfer cheese to an airtight container and discard the cheesecloth. Keep refrigerated up to 2 days.

-----

Inspired by a classic recipe from Rick Bayless's "Mexican Everyday" (2005), this tortilla soup can be made vegetarian by using vegetable broth and leaving out the chicken. It gets an extra dimension of creamy flavor with the addition of shredded cheeses.

Tortilla Soup
Makes 6 servings

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 medium white onion, sliced ¼ inch thick

3 garlic cloves, peeled

1 can (15 ounces) diced fire-roasted tomatoes in juice

2 quarts chicken broth

1 large sprig epazote (optional)

½ teaspoon ancho chile powder

Salt to taste

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into ½-inch cubes

1 large ripe avocado, cut into ¼-inch cubes

1 ½ cups shredded quesadilla, asadero or Monterey jack cheese

2 to 3 cups tortilla chips, broken into bite-size pieces

1 large lime, cut into wedges

Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onion and garlic and cook, stirring frequently until golden, about 7 minutes. Scoop up the onion and garlic with a slotted spoon and transfer to a blender. Set pan aside (you will use it again) and process onions and garlic until smooth. Add tomatoes to blender and pulse briefly.

Return pan to medium-high heat. When it is hot, add the puree and stir until thickened to the consistency of tomato paste, about 6 minutes. Add broth and epazote, if using. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer 15 minutes. Taste and season with salt.

When chicken is cooked through, after about 5 minutes, ladle the soup into the bowls. Squeeze a wedge of lime in each bowl, if desired.

-----

V&V Supremo, which distributes Mexican-style cheeses from Wisconsin's Chula Vista, puts a twist on an American classic. Watch a video of this recipe and others from V&V Supremo being prepared.

Macaroni and Cheese
Makes 10 to 12 servings

1 package elbow macaroni (16 ounces)

2 containers (15 ounces each) crema or sour cream

7 cups shredded Queso Chihuahua or queso quesadilla (divided)

3 tablespoons Dijon mustard

1 teaspoon salt

5 tablespoons unsalted butter

3 cloves garlic, chopped

1 cup bread crumbs

½ cup V&V Supremo Sierra Cotija cheese or grated cotija cheese

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add macaroni and cook until slightly underdone. Drain pasta and rinse with cold water.

Place cream in a saucepan over medium heat. Add 2 cups shredded cheese and whisk until fully melted. By handful, add 4 cups of remaining shredded cheese and whisk until fully incorporated. Add mustard and salt, and whisk until blended.

Place pasta in a large ovenproof casserole. Pour in cheese sauce and mix well. Sprinkle remaining cup of shredded cheese over the top. Bake in preheated oven 20 minutes. Remove from oven and sprinkle with bread crumbs. Return to oven and bake 3 to 5 minutes. Remove from oven. Serve immediately.

I think some form of 'bacteria' or another is a part of most cheese making . In fact ;some cheeses (like Blue) even have Holes punched into the wheel to Allow certain bacteriato penetrate more deeply . I'm no cheese expert ; but I did stay at a Holiday Inn Expresslast night ! Oh yah ; and I love Oaxaca Cheese ! Cheese Please ...